Nagasaki or Nikko?

Neither is a beach destination, but only Nagasaki offers a swim at all. The bay is a working harbour, but Takahama's sandy bay on the Nomo coast and the small resort beach on Iojima make a summer afternoon off from sightseeing possible.

Nikko is far inland, and its highland lakes, Chuzenji and Yunoko, are for boating and fishing rather than bathing. In summer, the water you get into there is a hot spring.

Nagasaki eats far better. Centuries of Chinese, Portuguese and Dutch contact gave it dishes found nowhere else in Japan, from champon and sara udon to the shippoku banquet and castella. It also has good fish in the izakaya around Shianbashi and casual plates in Chinatown.

Nikko's short list centres on yuba from the temple tradition, with mountain soba and river fish beside it, and most places serve lunch to day visitors. The best meal is usually the multi-course dinner at your ryokan, so in Nikko good food comes with the room rather than with a night out.

Both carry great historical weight, but of very different kinds. Nagasaki's story is one of foreign contact and catastrophe, and it is spread across the city: the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park in Urakami, Dejima, Glover Garden, Oura Cathedral and the Chinese temples around Teramachi.

Nikko's history is a single, concentrated ensemble in cedar forest, built around the gold and lacquer of Toshogu, with Rinnoji, Futarasan and Taiyuinbyo beside it. Nagasaki gives two or three days of varied stories. Nikko gives one or two days of overwhelming decoration and has few museums beyond it.

Nagasaki at least has an evening. Shianbashi's grid of izakaya, counter bars and karaoke makes for a relaxed night of drinks, even though there are few clubs and the streets empty before midnight, and the night view from Mount Inasa is the other way to spend an evening. In Nikko the main street goes dark once the day visitors leave, and the night belongs to dinner and the bath.

Nikko is much stronger here. The town is the gateway to a national park. The Irohazaka road climbs to Lake Chuzenji beneath Mount Nantai, Kegon Falls pours out of the lake, and the Senjogahara boardwalks lead through marshland to Lake Yunoko. For the energetic there are harder climbs and rafting in the gorge.

Nagasaki's setting is a steep harbour ringed by green hills, with the ropeway up Mount Inasa and a rocky peninsula coast. Its volcanic country at Unzen is about two hours away, so wilder scenery takes a full day rather than a short bus ride.

Both make good bases, but the trips lead in opposite directions. From Nagasaki the outings are mostly about history and the sea: the boat to the ruined island of Gunkanjima, Shimabara's castle and samurai street, the porcelain towns of Arita and Imari, and Huis Ten Bosch.

Nikko's great advantage is Tokyo, about two hours away. Gyoza in Utsunomiya, the kilns of Mashiko and the thatched post town of Ouchi-juku are also within reach. Beyond these, the area around Nikko is mostly mountains and lakes rather than towns.

Nagasaki has a slight edge for families. Trams, the Inasa ropeway, the Penguin Aquarium and Huis Ten Bosch give children plenty to do. On the other hand, the stepped hillside streets are hard work with a pushchair, and the bomb museum needs some thought with young children.

Nikko works for a shorter stay. The Edo theme village and the miniature landmarks park at Kinugawa appeal to children, and older ones enjoy the boats on Lake Chuzenji. The shrine staircases and long bus rides between scattered sights tire toddlers sooner.

Nagasaki is easier to get around. A handful of flat-fare tram lines run along the valley floor past nearly every major sight, so the only real effort is climbing the hillside lanes and steps.

Nikko's town is a single 2km road from the stations up to the shrines, which is easy on foot. The lake, the falls and the marshland, however, depend on buses up the Irohazaka road, which can crawl on autumn weekends, so you cover less ground in a day.

Neither is a place to come for shopping, but Nagasaki has more to browse. The covered Hamanomachi arcade, a department store and the station mall cover everyday needs. Boxed castella, local glassware and porcelain from Hasami, Mikawachi and Arita make good gifts.

Nikko has a single street of souvenir and food shops. It is worth a look for Nikko-bori carving, straw-soled geta and packaged yuba, but for anything else you wait for Tokyo.

Costs are broadly similar, and the difference lies in where the money goes. In Nagasaki, business hotels, cheap champon lunches and a day of tram rides keep things moderate, while the Gunkanjima boat, the ropeway and evenings of sashimi are what push the total up. In Nikko the guesthouses and soba meals are reasonably priced, but the classic ryokan stay with dinner is the big expense, and it costs most in autumn.

Both places save their performances for festival days, but Nagasaki has more of them. Kunchi fills three October days at Suwa Shrine with dragon dances and ship floats, and the Lantern Festival brings acrobatics to Chinatown. For the rest of the year, a municipal concert hall hosts touring shows.

Nikko has no theatre or concert life. Its great occasion is the Toshogu procession of armoured samurai and horseback archery in spring and autumn. On other days, live performance is limited to the theme-park shows at Kinugawa.

This is where Nikko pulls well ahead. Hot springs run through the whole area, from the large inns along the Kinugawa gorge to the remote baths of Yumoto, and the shrine paths and early nights set an unhurried pace. On winter weekdays the mountain resorts fall deeply quiet, with snow on the outdoor pools.

Nagasaki has sento and a few hot-spring facilities, but its real onsen towns, Obama on the shore and Unzen in the hills, are on the Shimabara peninsula and need an overnight stay. In the city itself, calm comes from hillside temples and evening walks by the harbour.